Chopped Champions: Finale
In the grand finale of the Chopped Champions tournament, four two-time winners stride into the kitchen with their eyes on the big prize: $50,000! Some fresh surprises and a baked good challenge the champs in the first round. Then after saying goodbye to the first chef, the competition takes a slimy turn with sea snails in the basket. And with expectations and pressure sky-high, what will the two chefs who have managed to make it through nine rounds of cooking manage to do with carrot juice and honeycomb for dessert? Contestants *Jun Tanaka, Executive Chef, Pearl Restaurant, London, England. WINNER *Kenneth Johnson, Executive Chef, Pescatore, New York, NY *Rob Evans, Chef and Restaurateur, Hugo's / Duckfat, Portland, ME *Vinson Petrillo, Executive Sous chef, Caviar Russe, , New York, NY Judges *Amanda Freitag *Alex Guarnaschelli *Geoffrey Zakarian Meal Appetizer Ingredients: Pig Ears, Ramps, Pine Nuts, Apple Strudel Jun made Apple Strudel Purée w/ Pine Nut Crusted Pig Ears and Fried Ramps. The judges love his strudel bread sauce, which goes well with the pig ears, and the dish is a nice nod to Jun's British roots. The only issue is that his presentation is lacking. Kenneth did Candied Pig Ears Salad with Ramp Vinaigrette & Apple Strudel Croutons. The salad is quite pleasant, and the judges like his making of pig candy, and the flavor of his vinaigrette is very bright. The pig ears are tough, and the croutons are soggy and not really croutons. Rob made Free-Form Ravioli with Ramp Sauce & Crispy Pig Ears. '''The judges love Rob's creativity and ambition of making pasta dough in 20 minutes, which is cooked perfectly. All of his flavors go well together. His pig ears really needed more attention, and grilling the apple strudel doesn't really count as transforming it. Vinson prepared '''Crispy Pig Ears Salad with Grilled Ramp Pesto and Pickled Onions. Vinson's dish is a $50,000 dish: it has everything that one would want on their pallet, his pesto is expertly made, and his dish is very composed and complex. Some of the pig ears are a bit tough, and Alex questions the pickled onion. After Ted lifts the cloche, Chef Kenneth is left wishing that he could do the appetizer again. The judges chop him for his soggy croutons, soft pig ears. Entrée Ingredients: Abalone, Curry Leaves, Serrano Ham, Amaranth Grain Rob prepared Abalone & Serrano Ham Scallopini w/ Curry Leaf Egg Sauce & Button Mushrooms. '''Rob's dish is very creative and genius, the abalone is very tender, and the button mushrooms are a hit with the judges. Geoffrey feels that the puffed amaranth should be better integrated, which Alex disagrees with. Amanda has no complaints. Vinson made Sunomono & Crispy Fried Abalone with Amaranth Grain. The judges love the beach feel of his two abalone preparations. The almond purée doesn't belong on the plate, and the judges struggle to find a core in his dish. Jun made '''Abalone, Curry Leaf, & Shiitake Mushroom Noodle Broth with Amaranth Coated Poached Egg. The presentation is wow, the mushrooms are very nice, and the broth is great. The judges enjoy that he managed to make a soup an entrée. The amaranth is a little underdone, and the ham is gummy. While his abalone is sliced nicely, it is tough. The judges decide that it is not the worst dish, but the least excellent dish that needs to go. That dish belongs to Chef Vinson, which didn't come together, and the almond butter should have never made it on the plate. Dessert Ingredients: Carrot Juice, Almond Flour, Candy Canes, Candied Ginger, Honeycomb Jun made Carrot & Candied Ginger Frangipane Pudding with Chantilly and Carrot Ginger Candy Cane Sauce. '''Jun's dish is beautiful, and the flavors in the dish are fantastic. His chantilly is fantastic, although he needs more to make up for some of the denseness of the pudding. They do like the fact that he baked. Rob prepared '''Cinnamon & Almond Dusted French Toast w/ Orange Carrot Gelée & Almond Foam with crushes Candy Canes. '''Rob's dish is once again very creative, and the judges like his components. His presentation is lacking and Alex feels that it doesn't come together. Geoffrey admits that he is jaded by seeing French Toast so many times on the show. Looking at both meals side by side, the judges decide that '''Chef Rob will be leaving with no title and no prize because of errors in his appetizer and dessert. In scoring his third Chopped victory, Jun Tanaka is made the third Chopped Grand Champion, and takes the $50,000 back to Britian as an investment in his upcoming restaurant. Gallery CCFinal Chefs.png|The chefs for the episode. From left to right: Vinson, Rob, Kenneth, and Jun Jun's Pig Ears and Bread Sauce.png|Jun's Appetizer Kenneth's Hard Candy Pig Ear Salad.png|Kenneth's Appetizer Rob's Freeform Ravioli.png|Rob's Appetizer Vinson $50,000 Appetizer.png|Vinson's Appetizer Rob's $50,000 Entrée.png|Rob's Entrée Vinson's Abalone 2 Ways.png|Vinson's Entrée Jun's Soup Entrée.png|Jun's Entrée Jun's $50,000 Dessert.png|Jun's Dessert Rob Made French Toast.png|Rob's Dessert Jun Is Grand Champion.png|Jun Tanaka is the Chopped Grand Champion Notes *Jun Tanaka is the first non-American Chopped Grand Champion. Category:Episodes Category:Season 14 Category:Chopped Champions Category:Ramps Category:Serrano Ham Category:Almond Flour Category:Ginger Category:Crystallized Ginger Category:Honeycomb Category:Carrot Juice Category:Honey Category:Amaranth Category:Amaranth Grain